Stan Breitbard Wins 2008 Odom Award

For Immediate Release

Contact: Laura
Levine, (202)
466-8610

Stan Breitbard, State Coalition
Inspiration,

Wins 2008 Odom Award

WASHINGTON, April 2008… Stan Breitbard, a
retired CPA and founder of the California State Jump$tart Coalition more than a
decade ago, has become the 2008 recipient of the Jump$tart Coalition’s William
E. Odom Visionary Leadership Award. This prestigious award recognizes
individuals who provide outstanding service in the personal finance education
arena. It was presented during Financial Literacy Month at the Jump$tart
Coalition® Awards Dinner in Washington, DC.

Laura Levine, Jump$tart Coalition executive
director, presented the award. This year’s Odom Award Winner has been involved
in the California Coalition since providing the inspiration for founding it and
today, still sits on the executive committee of its board of directors.

Ms. Levine noted
that, “Stan got the idea to take the national initiative and localize it—to
energize a financial literacy effort just for Californians. He enlisted the
support of state and local organizations, like the California Society of
CPAs. From this inspiration,
California Jump$tart was born.”

That group, in
turn, became the model that many of the other state coalitions followed as they
sprang up all over the country and now number 48.

While serving as
the volunteer chairperson of California Jump$tart, this year’s Odom Award
Winner, helped to create the “Financial Smarts for Teachers” initiative, which
educated California teachers about their own personal finances, while
encouraging them to bring personal finance lessons into their classrooms.

Additionally, his
financial literacy efforts with the California Society of CPAs are largely
credited as having helped to inspire the AICPA highly acclaimed program—the
360° of Financial Literacy.

In accepting the award, Mr.
Breitbard told the gathering, “For
more than 12 years, I’ve have had the pleasure of working with organizations
and people that share the goal of helping all Americans become financially
literate—especially for the people of California. I’m proud not only to be in
the company of the prestigious group of former winners but also quite pleased
to be the first CPA to win this award. Believe me, I’m thrilled.”

Other awards presented during this year’s dinner included: Federal Legislator
of the Year to Senators Wayne Allard (R-CO) and Robert Menendez (D-NJ); state
coalition of the year to the Virginia State Jump$tart Coalition, which was
accepted by Tina Lambert, state coalition president. In addition, the National
Foundation for Credit Counseling, a Jump$tart Coalition national board of
directors member, presented its annual poster competition award to Harrison Noh
for his colorful poster on the theme of “Financial Responsibility Begins with
Me!”

About Jump$tart

Jump$tart
Coalition for Personal Financial Literacy is a not-for-profit organization that
seeks to improve the personal financial literacy of young adults. It is
celebrating its ten-year anniversary during Financial Literacy for Youth Month
(April) in Washington, DC. One of its premier services—the Jump$tart Personal
Finance Clearinghouse—is available to parents, students and consumers alike at www.jumpstartclearinghouse.org.